Archive for July, 2007

and enjoyment of creating

When I started adding the patterned colors in the dirt – the green, red, and blue; the contours of the dirt flattened out a little – but I liked the digital painting more and found the addition a nice addition to the enjoyment of creating the painting.

The furrowed field in question did just start getting irrigated and I did see two workers in yellow slickers with wrenches cranking on the water.

There was no posing and no pretense of a world in scale -but hopefully fun nevertheless. The figures do seem a bit cartoon-like to me and the representation of water – I have certainly done a few times.

Since to me, one of the key aspects of creating original art is communicating one’s unique perspective – this piece works. It is neither completely new or completely redone. The prints are always original and always as intended by the artist.

See Also

Rainy Halloween Harvest – first digital painting with figures – actually painted through the window – on location as it were – and first painted yellow slickers

Good Communication Skills – not advocating a course here – but good points about communication also apply to the conscious part of art

Original Prints – definitions and distinctions – understanding what is being offered at Outhouse Studios

carrying out original vision

Checkerboard Day – unfinished digital painting

If I work this direction – meaning create a landscape and then add figures, I generally save the painting before moving on.

I like the piece where it is above – the checkerboard of light and dark and the clouds are strong enough to carry the painting. Plus the hills have the warmth and at least my eye is pulled in enough to want to move around in the composition.

But frequently, the case with art is about solving a problem or carrying out something one has conceived. I always think there should be some give and take with the painting itself as it is created. But I also think it is important to at least try to say what one intends (a take on Original Art – I had not thought of before).

The checkerboard mountains and the two irrigation workers hoisting their pipes in unison were witnessed on the same day – and the connection made sense to me when I saw them and created the finished original digital painting.

See Also

Original Prints – catalog of prints starting at $95 – some of my favorites – many current paintings are on hold as far as prints being set up for easy purchase – email if determined – changes are coming

The Art of Complex Problem Solving – I think this may actually be about “the Art” – as it is the changing views as one rolls over with the mouse that makes me appreciate this – the puzzle about puzzle solving is more complex than I have patience for at the moment – but a nice complex diagram nevertheless

controlling what at first seems uncontrollable

Simple, colorful, expression – not much in the way of form – not much in terms of movement – but it does have a good feeling nevertheless.

This was not a particularly thoughtful piece. It came from following a concept of being on the cusp between representation and abstract as well as having the smooth colors atop the beige textured background.

Creating Acceptability

Categories are not always helpful – they don’t help with treating people like individuals and they don’t always help with understanding what goes into making a particular work of art.

Technology and timing add a dimension to all art that is almost always controversial. The classical guitar was not considered more than a folk instrument until Andres Segovia came along.

Digital art is a bit like that – but perhaps even more confusing. In doing an image search for digital painting, I discovered four different takes on what that means in the first four sites I followed links to.

I don’t think the beat box warrants the appreciation of a real drummer – but it is not without requiring some skill just by setting the speed and rhythm.

I find myself bouncing back and forth about all these things. On the one hand, I respect the discipline and development of the skills to create. On the other hand, I would like to be able to appreciate art just for what it is without regard to how it is created.

See Also

Original Prints – additional explanation about what makes original art at Outhouse Studios and the category breaking concepts

New and free prints on images and original pictures – digital prints are not defined at all – altered photos – paintings from scratch? – the artist has clearly not spent the kind of time with this type of work as with his painting and obviously values it much less since he is giving them away with the purchase of his paintings

Digital Paintings and Photo Illustrations – very different work than mine – but quite fun and the artist distinguishes where his work comes from – I value that – but given my findings – it probably matters little at this point

Unusually, the clouds were very mixed checked black and white themselves.

On the same day – later on, I noticed two field workers – hoisting pipes in unison. Though not choreographed, it seemed like it could have been.

I am not sure why I tied the two together – it could have been two different digital paintings – but I think I saw a connection between checkers pieces and the two workers in sync or maybe I am adding meaning after the fact.

There is more movement, more dance, more transparency; but I only saw a glimpse as a passing motorist.

See Also

Original Prints – though I have not made the art prints for this new digital painting available for easy purchase yet – please familiarize yourself

Photo Essay – searching the checkerboard landscape of images on the web – yielded this fascinating glimpse of history

a fresh spin on which came first

Generally when I write – my inspiration comes from a choice of artwork – its implications or origins – but it is about the artwork – looking outward.

In an unusual twist, I am thinking about the climate of fear we live in. Living in Salinas (and even if I weren’t), I felt the hype over the 3 deaths and multiple illnesses related to E. coli tainted spinach a bit over the top.

I heard Jay Leno recently say that there were thirteen deaths caused by vending machines last year –

So basically there is over four times as much chance you will get killed by a coke machine than eating spinach – without even talking about health risks from too much soda.

I painted the above digital painting – long before any E. coli spinach scare – it was a time consuming painting to go along with the time consuming task of harvesting. I have tremendous respect for these workers – they work incredibly long hours and just about always wave a hello if they see you – and most of them do work which no born and raised American would generally even consider let alone try.

So call me reckless, but I am more afraid of fast food than spinach, bigotry than illegal immigrants, and worst of all (in this climate of dwindling civil rights) – speaking up in a voice that might be heard.

See Also

Death by Vending Machine – a tongue and cheek look at some of the stupidities in our world – but my take is “fear of litigation”

Figures Art Gallery – original prints are available for all works in this gallery from 2005- in addition to this piece – others which were actually meant to be a bit dissenting

fresh ideas – part of original art concept – time tells

Did my quick image roulette thing and found this work of original representation and original art.

The slabs of concrete looking things are to represent the unsightly mall in between my view and the mountains. I frequently, like a many artist, have selective vision … and here again I did as well – choosing this representation.

At the time, I liked it conceptually – thought it kind of fun – but never did more – an indicator in itself.

Love the clouds and sky – the mountains are cool – but it never made it into my real favorites – nevertheless, it is original on many levels and documents the creative process and my own progression as an artist.

Original Prints have been made available for this digital painting and all others in the Figures Art Gallery.

See Also

Figures Art Gallery – view other works of similar time period and similar themes available for purchase

Just as my music has influences of jazz, rock, folk, blues, and classical – my visual art tends to have more than one influence.

Even though the above digital painting is intensely colorful and painted in a quick bold fashion, it is more serious. There is an intentionality of communicating a feeling and mood which is not always there with an abstract piece or a more fantastical piece.

I have been working on other types of art and creativity and this still feels like my most recent work – original prints are not yet available.

See Also

More Warm Hills – a piece I am reminded of – translating the hug-able quality of the hills and a similar type of 3 dimensionality

blurring lines of distinction

Is there a distinction between fine art and poster art? – between serious representation and caricature?

I can see a difference between my earliest digital paintings and my more recent ones. The first ones were bright playful colors with no pretence of trying to capture the feeling of someplace real – rather they were a place of their own though inspired by something seen.

There is a brilliance which fish have which can’t be captured – the above rendition is not from vision not from reality so much as from imagination and colors of the medium.

I imagine it more of a poster than a work of framed original art – but I never want to lose that sense of play – I want the lines blurred – I want my work to be low brow – high brow – no brow.

We need categories to make sense of our world – but after doing so we need to be able to not categorize in order to see.

See Also

Original Art-chives – earliest digital paintings at Outhouse Studios and some as recent as 2005

Under Water Photo Gallery – don’t know this photographer or his work until today – but Gary McCarthy has done a nice job at showcasing some of the incredible colors under water

the art of a thankless job

I am not sure why I left this piece finished where I did – but I think I on some level I wanted the art to be as thankless as the subject itself.

Weeding the mound of dirt between the fields and the road is a thankless job. It is kind of like sweeping the dirt – but it is a job I have witnessed. That it reads like the field worker is spanking his or her own butt – was accidental at first, but left intentionally.

The flying weed – which looks more like a strange anatomical growth – must be my subconscious at work here as well –